Some consumers are concerned about using rice cookers with aluminum pots which are coated with a nonstick Teflon coating. The alternatives to nonstick aluminum bowls are stainless steel, ceramic or clay cooking pots. We have done our research and present you with rice cookers that offer an alternative to the widely used aluminum pots and nonstick Teflon coatings.
We give an overview of the features and benefits of each rice cooker. Furthermore, we conclude this buying guide for rice cookers with no Teflon by choosing our favorite.
Stainless Steel Pot Rice Cooker
The main feature of the Aroma ARC-757SG is the stainless steel inner cooking pot, which means no Teflon coated aluminum cooking pot. The stainless steel pot is removable and easy enough to clean after it has been soaked in warm water for a few minutes. It is safe to clean in the dishwasher.
The Aroma ARC-757SG can cook a maximum of 7 cups uncooked rice (produces 14 cups cooked rice). The pot is covered with a glass lid which has a small hole for venting steam.
This Aroma Simply Stainless (now called Select Stainless) electric rice cooker does not include its own steaming tray, but a stainless steel steamer tray can be bought separately if you want to steam vegetables. The Aroma RS-07 14-cup stainless steamer tray is made to fit the ARC-757SG rice cooker.
Operating this kitchen appliance is very simple since it only has one switch for cook/warm. The automatic warm mode keeps the rice warm after it has finished cooking. Unplug the rice cooker to turn if off.
Costs
- It does not have an on/off power switch: unplug it to turn the appliance off.
- The appliance does not include a steam tray for steaming vegetables (buy it separately).
- The steam vent might spit out starchy water, which causes a mess on the kitchen counter.
Benefits
- It can be used to make soups or jambalaya.
- Automatic warmer function with indicator light.
- The inner cooking pot is made from surgical-grade stainless steel.
- See-through glass lid for easy viewing and easy cleaning.
You can view pricing, details and customer reviews for the Aroma ARC-757SG rice cooker at Amazon.
Clay Pot Rice Cooker
The Vitaclay VF7700 has an unglazed clay cooking bowl with a clay lid. Definitely no Teflon or aluminum inside this rice cooker. It is made from Zisha clay all the way.
This Vitaclay rice cooker has a control panel with buttons for cooking white rice, brown rice, soup or stew. There is also an off/warm button and a timer button. The timer can delay the cooking start time from 30 minutes up to a maximum of 12 hours (advances in 30 minute steps).
Costs
The clay pot is much more fragile than metal pots and can break due to extreme temperature changes or falling down on the floor.
Benefits
- 12-hour start time delay.
- 12-hour automatic warm function.
- Clay pot does not have a nonstick chemical glaze or Teflon coating.
There are two sizes available: a 6-cup model (VF7700-6) and an 8-cup model (VF7700-8). Includes a recipe booklet, rice paddle and measuring cup. You may view prices and details for the VitaClay VF7700-6 clay pot rice cooker at Amazon.
Ceramic Pot Rice Cooker
This Hannex rice cooker has a ceramic inner cooking pot with nonstick nanotechnology. There is no Teflon coating and no aluminum comes into contact with the rice. The frame of the rice cooker is made from stainless steel as well as durable molded plastic. It can prepare 2 to 7 cups of cooked rice.
The control panel is located on top of the lid. It has a selection button for choosing between cooking the rice, cooking soup or stew, cooking porridge or keeping the cooked rice warm. Another button is used for setting the 9.5-hour delay timer. The third button is “Cancel/Off”.
Costs
The ceramic bowl might break into pieces if it falls far enough, so handle it with care.
Benefits
- A ceramic bowl is easier to clean than a stainless steel pot.
- Ceramic inner cooking pot with nanotechnology nonstick surface.
- Delay timer that delays the start of rice cooking by up to 9.5 hours.
Unfortunately, these Hannex ceramic pot rice cookers are both hard to get and expensive. Therefore, it does not seem to be such a good option anymore. Nevertheless, you may still check its availability, or find an alternative ceramic pot rice cooker, by visiting Amazon.
Ceramic Pot Digital Rice Cooker
We came across the Aroma Housewares ARC-6206C digital rice cooker while having another look at the Hannex rice cookers.
This digital rice cooker from Aroma Housewares has a ceramic inner pot that provides an alternative to all the rice cookers with non-stick coatings.
The natural ceramic pot has a 4 quart capacity that translates into about 12 cups of cooked rice. Of course, that is rice measured with the included rice measuring cup and not a cup from the cupboard.
Rice is not the only food you can cook with the Aroma Housewares ARC-6206C because it also has other cooking functions. In addition to cooking white and brown rice, it can also make porridge, steam vegetables, cook soup, prepare yogurt and slow cook a nice stew. A vegetable steaming tray is included.
The digital control panel has buttons for selecting a cooking function, setting the delay timer and keeping the cooked rice warm.
If you desire a digital rice cooker with a ceramic inner pot that has an affordable list price, then the Aroma Housewares ARC-6206C is one of the few choices available to you (check price on Amazon).
Conclusion
You will have to decide for yourself whether you want a rice cooker with either a stainless steel, ceramic or clay inner cooking pot.
The VitaClay VF7700 clay pot rice cooker makes tasty rice, but the unglazed clay cooking bowl needs to be handled with care, otherwise it will crack or break.
The Hannex rice cooker has a ceramic inner cooking pot. This is a rare feature for a rice cooker, but it might be either unavailable or too expensive. Therefore, try the Aroma Housewares ARC-6206C ceramic rice cooker instead.
The stainless steel pot of the Aroma ARC-757SG will probably last longer than the ceramic or clay pots of the other rice cookers, since metal does not crack or break into pieces. The rice might stick to the stainless steel pot, but cleaning it is not too difficult if you let it soak in warm water before wiping.
To conclude, the Aroma ARC-757SG (and the smaller ARC-753SG) seems to be the most affordable and most popular rice cooker without an aluminum pot or Teflon coating (shop now on Amazon).
Related Posts
We recommend two related posts on the subject of rice cookers without nonstick Teflon surfaces.
The first post is our review of rice cookers with stainless steel inner pots. We look at the likes and dislikes of a few stainless steel bowl rice cookers.
The second post we recommend is our review of rice cookers with clay inner pots. We give you an overview of the costs and benefits of two clay pot electric rice cookers.
We hope our review has helped you to narrow down your search for rice cookers without a nonstick Teflon coating or aluminum pot. Thank you for reading!